Shunting system



K. MLLER SHUNTING SYSTEM Aug. '8, 1933.

Filed Dec 6 1928 f 1,921,395 v i,

sHUNTrNG lSYSTEM Karl `vlvlller,V BerlinrSiemensstadt, `Blockwerk, Germany, assignor, by mesne assignments, to

the Firm Vereinigte Eisenbahn-Signalwerke- G.

n1. b. H., Berlin-Siemensstadt, Germany.`

` Application'ecember 6, 1928,'ISe`rial No. 324,31 and in Germany January 21, 1928 'Ir'he present invention has as its objecta device for the accumulation of the energyof various switching Aory shunting'actions. This device is of special Vimportancefin the operation of gravity 5 railway switch-yards, in which the cars are automatically started down a hill and individually distributed to the various branch tracksA for the purpose of making up a train for subsequent'dispatch. The priorart has endeavored to control thev changing of the switches'by the cars themselves in the manner that the cars Aroll over contacts thereby closing an electric circuit which insuresl directly or indirectly the throwing of the points. Now, in order to set the switch for one direction, a vcorresponding electric circuit'must be closed, whilethe switch is set in the other position by the influence of another circuit. fIn order to avoid, during the `gravity switching, previously setting the switches, an accumulator is provided which controls thevarious `switching operations. The energy of switching 'impulses are rst set up in the accumulator'so that the lswitch will be thrown intothe desiredy position land the car, by rolling over the rail-k contact, releases: the impulse torso actuate'the switch. Many otherucasesalso require thepre-accumulation of vthe energy ofvarious switching Yimpulses which areto occur in consecutiveorder. In all such cases the present inventionl may be made use of; `I-n the devices for the' accumulationk of the energyl ofthe switching impulses, known to theV prior art,"'a drum was disposed rotatablyjwhile the magnets, which actuated/the contacts: of the drum or absorbed ,the energy of the, accumulation ,and release. ofthe energy of said-(switching impulsescan turn independently vof' one another on the axis of the lfixed drum. -s

In the following description sucha construction is set forth, as schematically shown inFigures 1` and 2 of `the accompanying drawing, in

of a. diierent type are considered` Ythedifferent switching impulses, were arranged which,.forlsimplicity, only two-switching impulses In y*the* accompanying drawing formingl part hereof, v

Figure tion of the drum member shownin sectionA to reveal the construction of thesame and its ap- Throughout, the same reference indicia lrefer ENT" OFFICE n lis aside elevation'of anvapparatus VYembodying a practical form ofthe invention.. y

Figure 2 is a plan view of the same with a por-r are `encircled and'actuated by springs q in the drum. ,'When apin f is'pressed, against the ac,-

tion of vthe springl q, into the drum, a resilient j catch p engages thefront of van annularstop w, `of said pin ythereby holding the pin in the pressed-in position. This insures the. possibility of releasing the energy of two diierent switching pulses in the drum, it is necessary-to .either leave the pins in their successive order in their lnorn mal position or to bring the same into the Vpressed-in position. This is accomplished with` the aid of two magnets aand e. n

The armature of magnet a is provided With'a Vimpulses by means of `these ypins according to forward feed pawl b, which engages a ratchet H wheel c. -The forward movement in a clockwise direction ofthe wheelvc is effected by the pawl bl under the action of a spring d when there is no current in the electro-magnet a, the armature being drawn away bysaid tension spring d. 1

When magnet a is energized, it` attracts its armature which carries the pawl b with it until the latter engages the next tooth on wheel c. To the ratchet wheel c is'attached the ratchetmagwheel c, along the outer side near the periphery of the drum. The pins f are pressed into the drum by means of Va lug n which is carried by' wheelc. A' K v v When the magnet e is energized it attracts its armature y andk presses a spring pin 1' against the leaf spring o to which is attached the catch p. The latter releases the stop w with the result that the particular pin f is forced, due to the action of springq, out of the drum, hence assumn ing the position of the pin'designated by f2 in Fig. 2. In this way the magnete is brought, at such release of magnet a, kfrom one p in f to the other, releasing however the corresponding pin onlyA if` it is energized, the pin 7 staying in the pressedin position if 'magnet e' is without current. I The net e which glides, during the turning of toothed tion. It is, of course understood that each pin Y. zo

f is individually associated witha leaf spring o as well as a catch p and a stop w. Y

. On the other side of the drum g is disposed a change-over switch Z1, pivotally mounted on a second rotatable ratchet wheel lc. This changeover switch h glides with its roll s overY the pins 'f and takes a position corresponding to whether the pin f, engaged at the time, is pressed in or not. As shown in Fig. 2, the roll sis lengaging a pressed-in pin f1, which has placed the changefover` switch h, against the action of a spring t, into the position shown in the drawing, closing a contact u. If roll s moves to a position over a pin which is not pressed in, for instance over the pin If2, the contact u, due to the action ofl spring t, is opened and a contact v is closed. The wheel 7c is kept moving by a magnet Z in the same manner as the wheel ,c is kept moving by magnet a.

Hence, the energy of oneof the accumulated switching impulses is active at each actuation of magnet Z by means of a switch Z3. Immediately after the start of said ,accumulation therelease of the-energy of the switching impulses may begin so that both operations may occur simultaneously. Should the accumulation operate alone for a longer time than the release, an overaccumulation in the drum might occur. This is prevented by two contacts m1 and m2, m1 being rigidly connected to ratchet wheel c while m2 is mounted'on the ratchet wheel Zc so as to stop the accumulation process as' soon as they get in touch with one another. A further continuation ofthe accumulation process is then automatically prevented in any desirable manner.

The operation of the device is as follows:

For the accumulation of the energy of the switching impulses only the switch Z1 need to be operated butA may also be effected ley-simultaneous operation of both switches Z1 and Z2. By closing Z1, magnet areceives current, attracts its armature with the forward moving pawl b thereby causing the latter to engage the next tooth of the ratchet wheel c. This results in applying tension to spring d which moves, after the opening of Z1, the ratchet wheel c by one tooth. In its movement the ratchet wheel c carries with it a lug n which presses in the pins f one after the other. If, upon the further movement of the ratchet wheel c, eis energized by closing switch Z2, the corresponding pin f is released, as previous described, the other pins f remaining in their pressed-in position. Hence, it is optional to leave, by opening or closing the switch Z2, the contacts f in their successive order in the pressed-in position or. tobring the same in the released position.

VThe release of the energy of the accumulated switching impulses is accomplished by thel closing of switch Za. Because, as above described, the ratchet wheel 7c is moved by one tooth with each closing of the switch Z3 by means of magnet Z, the roll s gliding over the pins, the switch u or the switch o being closed according to whether or not the endsof the pins protrude from the back side of the drum. It is readily seen in Fig. 2 that the pins j can assume either of two different positions, and consequently are adapted to direct wheel S in either of. two directions. In

Aone direction, the switch U will be closed, and

the switch occupies one position, while in the 0ther direction, V is closed and the switch assumes another position.

In railway gravity switch yards the switch Z3 is replaced by a rail contact Ywhich is closed by the cars. Hence, in this case, the individual switch positions may be*y predetermined for the individual cars. Hence, switchy Z3 is thus closed by movement of a car over the rails, while switches Z1 and Z2 are manually operated. The contact switch may be designed so that when once operated vby a car wheel passing over the same', known means of deceleration for said contacty may be incorporated which will maintain the contact in operated or closed condition for a periodvof 2 to .4 seconds or so. This is based on the fact that each car is from 15 to 30 feet long, having an average running speed of 15 to 20 feet per second, and the train as a whole having a total length of at least 50 feet. Hence, when once operated by the wheel of the iirst car, the contact will only beopenedwhen all wheels of the car in line with said rst wheel have passed over said contact, yet it Willbedenitely opened before the next car passes over it. Thus the contact will be operated but onceby each car. Furthermore, if in iront of each switch a rail contact is disposed which is connected with the ratchet magnet l, the car produces the throwing of the switch by rolling over the rail contact with a corresponding change of Vthe change-over switch ZL. In the subsequentaccumulation all pins which are in the position of f2 are pressed again into the drum by means of the lug 1L. Contacts u and u are placed in circuit with the relays or magnets (not shown) which indirectly or directly actuate the rail switch into a correspondarranged on each side ofthe drum, slidable. con- 4described my invention, I

tacts on said drum adapted to assume at leastV two different positions, means individually associated with said contacts adapted to'hold themA in one of said two positions, means provided in association with one ratchet mechanism adapted to move saidfcontacts into-the other of said two positions, movable means operatedby the slidable contacts, and means associatedand cooperating Vwith said movable means adapted to as,-

sume either one of two diierentpositions therei with corresponding with the two positions of said contacts.

2. Apparatus for the accumulation. and release of the energy of switching impulses for the operation of the switches of switching systems comprising a drum fixed to a shaft, two ratchet mechanisms rotatably mounted upon said shaft and arranged on each side ofl the drum, slidable contacts on said drum adapted to assume at least two different positions, means individuallyv Aassociated with said contacts adaptedto hold them in one of said two positionsmeans provided in association with one ratchet mechanism adapted to move said contacts into the other of said'two positions, movable means operated by the slidi able contacts, means cooperating with said movable means adapted to assume either one of two different positions therewith corresponding with the two positions of said contacts to the switches, tension springs controlling the. rotation Vstep by step of the ratchet wheels in one direction, and

one ratchet mechanism adapted to move said cons tacts into the other of vsaid two positions, movable means operated by the 'slidable contacts, and means cooperating with said movable means adapted' to assume either one o f two different positions therewith corresponding withthertwo'positions of vsaid contacts, means for controlling the rotationV 'stepbyjstep of said wheels in one direction, a change over switch carriedby therelease ratchet wheelcontrolled by said springactuatedpins, a magnet adapted to render in- :operative said pinsiwith respect to said change over switch", and a'projecton carried by the accumulation ratchet wheel adapted to engage and bring said pins into their operative position with respect to said change over switch. i

KARL MLLER.V 

